Almost a third of Britons believe Lapland is fictional place, survey claims

Many people also unsure whether Easter Island, Transylvania, Hogwarts and Gotham City are real places or not, according to poll

Almost a third of British people believe Lapland is a fictional place, a survey claims.

Researchers who polled 2,000 adults found many know nothing about the region, and one in 10 had to check the internet to find out whether it is a real location or not.

Just 22 per cent of the survey’s respondents knew Lapland spans Norway, Finland, Sweden and part of Russia.

One in 10 thought the region covers just Iceland and Greenland, while a fifth thought it is a country in its own right.

According to the survey conducted by tourism company TUI, 32 per cent of British people also don’t realise Transylvania is a real place.

A further 26 per cent said they didn’t think Easter Island is real, while 57 per cent thought Mumbles in Swansea Bay is a fictional place.

However, seven per cent of the survey’s respondents thought Hogwarts, the school of wizardry featured in the Harry Potter novels, is a real place.

And six per cent said the the home of Batman, Gotham City, exists.

More than a third of those surveyed said their geographical knowledge is so poor they often have to check on a globe to see if a place was real or not.

“Whilst TUI have been sending people to Lapland for a long time, you can understand why many Brits believe Lapland is a made up place, as much of the region is magical and if you haven’t visited, you might only think of it as the fictional home of Santa,” a spokesperson for TUI said.

“In reality, Lapland is a huge place spanning multiple countries, despite being very sparsely populated.”

Of those who did know that Lapland is a real place, 55 per cent said they would like to visit one day.

The spokesperson for TUI added: “The study indicates many people are unsure about which places are real and which are not – and we tend to get so absorbed in fantasy worlds such as Harry Potter and Batman, it’s no wonder we can get confused about whether they exist in reality.

“The great thing about Lapland is it’s absolutely real and the magic is truly spectacular.”

SWNS